US516119A - Slip-cutter for index purposes - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 7

A. J. RUDOLPH. SLIP CUTTER FOR INDEX PURPOSES.

No. 516,119. Patented Mar. 6, 1894.

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UNITED STATES PATENT Fries.

SLIP-CUTTER FOR INDEX PURPOSES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 516,1 19, dated March. 6, 1894.

Application filed April 20, 1893- Eerial No. 471,216. (No model.)

To all whom it" may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER J OSEPE RUDOLPH, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of San Francisco, State of California, have invented an Improvement in Slip-Gutters forIndexPurposes and I hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to a device for cutting slips for index and library purposes.

It consists in certain details of construction which will be more fully explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a perspective view of my invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective of a portion of the front showing the two cutting blades. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of a portion of the front part of the device.

The object of my present invention is to facilitate the cutting of entries from printed works for insertion in the leaf-holders of index and file devices. In making up these leaf or slip-holders I utilize catalogues, journals, and other works which have already been printed, by cutting out the lines which I wish to employin my index. Some of these journals are printed with nonpareil type with verynarrow spacing between, and the object of my invention is to provide an apparatus by which a neat separation may be made between single nonpareil lines when the spacing between the lines is less than the sixtyfourth of an inch. Each single line portion forms an independent entry, and must be exactly out without injuring the next following line, and no more margin must be left on each single line than is necessary. Another important point is that the slips on which the matter to beindexed or catalogued in written or printed matter pasted on cardboard, must be out at perfect right angles in order that each slip will fit exactly to the others, or to any other, and when the slips are introduced upon a leaf-holder they must fit so that all,

the slips together have the appearance of a solid page. To illustrate the importance of perfectly cutting these slips and economizing all the space, Iwill state thatin the San Francisco Free Public Library, there are about six thousand five hundred leaf-holders filled up with little slips, forming the catalogue to the library. Each leaf-holder contains on an average forty-five entries, on each entry an unnecessary margin of one thirty-second of an inch on the top and one thirty-second on the bottom, amounts to a little less than three inches of space on each leaf-holder. The total waste of space in the six thousand five hundred leaf-holders would amount to about nineteen thousand five hundred inches, and as the length of each leaf-holder is sixteen inches, it would necessitate the expense of about twelve hundred additional leaf-holders,which is important on account of the cost of the leaf-holders and of the additional space necessary for the index, and the additional time necessary to go over these additional leafholders. To obviate these difficulties, 1 have made an improved cutting machine which will make a saving of unnecessary margin and cut the slips exactly at right angles without causing the very narrow slips to curl up as they do when out with scissors.

The device consists of two steel plates A and B which meet as closely as possible with out creating undue friction. One of these plates A is fixed to a raised platform 0 upon which the paper or cardboard to be cut is laid. The other steel plate B is fastened to a fulcrunied lever D which is so pivoted that by means of its handle E, it may be raised and depressed, and cause the plate B to pass the plate A with a shearing motion so as to. out anything which is introduced between them. I have found a very satisfactory construction is to make the plate A with its upper edge made with a square right angle corner. The plate 13 has its lower edgemade with a slight bevel so as to pass the square corner of the lower plate with a shearing mo tion. It will be manifest that the same results may be produced by varying the form of the cutter and the movable blade, or, if desired, be so constructed as to move in Vertical guides, the edge being inclined so as to pass the stationary blade in the manner that I have described when it is attached to a fulcrum lever. The blade is very easily sharpened by grinding the bevel edge downavery little so as to form a new sharp angle.

In order to prevent any looseness of the handle and any side movement, which would prevent the cutting edges acting together properly, the pivot pin of the handle is made long, and the handle,itself,is fitted upon the pin with a long bearing. A nut and washer serve to hold the pin in place in its standard or support, and a shoulder is made between the screw-threaded portion and the part which passes through the handle, so that the nut screws up snugly against this shouldenand at the same time abuts closely against the handle so as to prevent side play. The cutting plate is secured upon the side of the handle by means of screws, and in order to adjust it with relation to the stationary plate, I have shown screws F passing through the opposite side of the handle and abutting against this plate, so that by a slight uni form turn of these screws, the edge of the plate may be thrown out a little and a perfoot fit between the edges effected. Upon one end of the support is a little projection G havingv a rubber or other soft pad fitted into it to serve as a stop against which the handle of the cutter strikes to prevent noise.

.Upon the raised platform which serves to support the card or sheet to be out, are two bars H, either one of which serves as a guide against which the side of the slip is placed when it is to be advanced beneath the out ter. Either of the bars H which may serve as the guide, may be made adjustable by having one end pivoted and the other formed with a transverse slot through which passes ,a-set screw I. This set screw beingloosened,

this end of the bar may be moved a little to one side or the other, and the set screw then turned on to clamp it in place. The object of this adjustment is to accommodate the guide to printed material which may be mounted upon card-board not exactly at right angles with the edge which is to be out. By moving this: bar to one side or the other, the line of printed matter will be broughtin exact parallelism with the cutting edge, and the cutting will thus be properly done.

Across the end of the raised platform, and adjacent to the cutters, is fixed a glass plate J which is kept in position by two pins K passing through holes in the plate. These pins have heads which rest upon the top of the plate, and the lower ends pass sufficiently through the platform upon which the glass rests to allow spiral springs L to surround them, the tension of the springs being adjusted by nuts M fitting upon the lower ends of the pins. These springs serve to draw the glass plate down upon the platform with any desired tension. The plate is beveled upon opposite edges so that the plate is in the form of an acuteangle rhomboid in transverse section. In the present case I have shown the edge adjacent to the cutter made flat, and thinner than the main portion of the plate to which it connects byan offset. This insures clearness and prevents refraction.

Oneof the beveled sides lies next the platform fore stated, in order to allowa clear inspection of the lines of the slip which is to be out. These lines can be seen-equally well through the glass, and where they, project outside of it beneath the cutter, so that an exact division of the space may be made, and the .cut made exactly between the lines of the type without cutting into either line.

Having thus described myinventiomwhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A slip cutter for index catalogue purposes, consisting of a table having one blade I of a cutter fixed at right angles with one end.

of the table, a second blade adjustably fixed to a vertically movable carrier so as to pass the bars H extending longitudinally :along both sides of the table, one of said bars forming a guide one end of which is mounted upon a pin passing through the table While the opposite end is slotted transversely and engaged by a set screw whereby said slotted end is adj ustably secured, substantially as herein described.

2. A slip cutter for index andcatalogue purposes, comprising a table to support the sheet to be cut, opposing blades one of-which is fixed and the other movable, a transparent plate extending transversely across the table and adapted to allow the sheet to be cutto pass beneath it as it approaches theblades, pins passing through the ends of said plate for securing it to the table, springs on said pins below the table for holding the plate under yielding pressure, and the bars H along the sides of the table, one of said bars having one end pivotally secured upon one of the pins and the opposite end slotted transversely and adjustably secured, substantially asand for the purpose described.

3. A slip cutter for index and catalogue purposes comprising an elevated table, the supports therefor having a projection with apad or cushion, the fixed and movable-blades or cutters, a transparent plateextending across the table and having its opposite. edges beveled, the pins K passing through the ends of the plate and through the table, springs on said pins below the table and nuts on the pins for regulating the tension of the springs, the

.the first blade with a shearing motion, and

IIO

bars extending along the outer sides of the In witness whereof I have hereunto set my tinble and serving as a guide for the card or hand. s ip, one of said bars having one end pivotally mounted upon one of the pins K and ALEXMDER JOSEPH RUDOLPH 5 having its opposite ends slotted transversely, Witnesses:

and a set screw for adjustably securing said S. H. NOURSE, slatted end, substantially as herein described. J. A. BAYLESS.

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